


Hermione Granger, Ministry Archivist

by Celandine



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Drama, Gen, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-15
Updated: 2010-04-15
Packaged: 2017-10-12 10:53:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/124111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celandine/pseuds/Celandine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gringotts has suddenly become inaccessible. What's the Minister of Magic to do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hermione Granger, Ministry Archivist

**Author's Note:**

  * For [a_d_medievalist](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=a_d_medievalist).



" _Gringotts_?" Percy exclaimed. He might have jumped out of his chair, but between his elaborate desk and his awareness of his position as Minister of Magic he was restrained from indulging the impulse.

"Yes, Minister," said Jenkins, his secretary. "We've had thirty-one reports already this morning, and since you were in the middle of that important conference with the Minister from India, and since Head Auror Potter happened to come in as I was in the middle of taking some of those calls, he volunteered to go check it out. He should be back any min-"

Harry strode into the room just then, pulling off a pair of dragon hide gloves as he came. "I've never seen anything like it." He shook his head, his expression baffled. "The bank is completely sealed off and inaccessible to magic. Every spell I tried failed. I even sent for some caustic potions to see if they could penetrate, but they didn't. It's as if the magic just beads up and rolls off the building's surface."

"All right," said Percy decisively. "Jenkins, send for Hermione Granger."

Hermione had accepted the position of Ministry Archivist a few years before. It was a newly-created position, designed to pull together all the mouldering old records from the many departments in the Ministry into one area, enabling the archivist to put her hands on all kinds of facts quickly. For Hermione, it was a job that allowed her to pursue her love of knowledge and get paid for it. More than once she had managed to locate some obscure but necessary piece of information that had saved the Ministry's bacon. Percy only hoped she could do it again. The unannounced and inexplicable inaccessibility of Gringotts could cause not only panic, but the collapse of the wizarding economy if it continued for long.

While he was waiting for Hermione to arrive, Percy sent Jenkins to determine whether the same problem had occurred at the Gringotts branches in other countries, and questioned Harry further on what he had found, although there was little more to be learned since Harry had been unable to access the bank.

"Shall I go fetch your brother Bill?" Harry offered, raking his fingers through his ever-unruly hair. "He used to work for them, so he might have some ideas about what's going on."

"No. He was never more than a curse breaker, dealing with external spells. He wouldn't have known the goblins' internal security policies, I'm fairly certain, and it's been years and years since he worked for them anyhow," said Percy. "We'll wait and see what Hermione can find out."

Jenkins reported that yes, as near as he could determine, every branch of Gringotts worldwide was equally inaccessible. Percy reached for a quill and started listing the facts that he knew about the matter, so that he wouldn't forget anything vital.

When Hermione appeared, he explained the situation to her, with some additional remarks from Harry, who then excused himself to go back to his usual duties.

"Send for me if you need any more help," he told Percy as he left.

Hermione gave Harry a small wave, then looked back at Percy and pursed her lips.

"So it only began this morning?"

"Yes. At dawn, as near as we can tell, although since of course Gringotts doesn't open for business that early, we're relying on a single report for establishing that as the time."

"Oh yes, the homeless wizard you mentioned, who found himself knocked off the bank's doorstep. Right." Hermione's eyes were thoughtful. She rose. "I have a couple of ideas of where to look for information that might resolve this, but it will take some time."

"How much time?" Percy tried not to sound as anxious as he felt.

"I should know by tonight. Maybe a little sooner." Hermione rested her small warm hand briefly on his.

The minutes went by, turning into hours. The _Daily Prophet_ sent a reporter around, of course, and Percy issued a public statement that the Ministry was aware of the situation and doing all it could to ensure the restoration of Gringotts and banking services as soon as possible. In conjunction with Harry's acknowledged visit to the bank earlier that day, the announcement served to keep panic from setting in, at least for the time being.

It was nearly five o'clock and Percy was starting to become concerned when Hermione burst back into his office, clutching an enormous leather-bound tome in both arms, a triumphant smile on her face.

"I found it," she announced, dropping the volume on Percy's desk with a thump so loud that Percy sincerely hoped she hadn't damaged its structural integrity. The desk's, not the book's; the latter looked indestructible despite the faint smell of mildew that drifted up from its pages as Hermione turned them rapidly. "Goblins don't keep the same calendar we do, as you know, and they don't take annual holidays, but there _are_ a very few events that they celebrate according to their own reckoning of time. Today is the goblin equivalent of, well, we might say the ten thousandth anniversary of the discovery of gold. They closed up shop to count and polish it all, I would imagine, but there are probably other aspects to this celebration as well."

"But why wouldn't they announce in advance that they would be closed, instead of just disappearing?" asked Percy, bewildered.

Hermione shrugged. "They're goblins, Percy. They're not human. Although we can understand them well enough to get along, most of the time, our minds and our sense of what is appropriate are quite different. It's entirely possible that it didn't even _occur_ to them that humans wouldn't know about such a significant event."

"I suppose that makes sense," Percy admitted. "But when do you think they'll come back?"

"Judging from the other records of goblin celebrations – they're rare, but there are a few – I would guess two days from now. I'm confident enough of that figure that you can put it into your public announcement," she added with a faint smile.

"Thank you, Hermione." Percy meant it with his whole heart. "The Ministry owes you a great debt."

"Mm." To Percy's surprise, Hermione seemed to be blushing. "Given that Gringotts _is_ closed and the Ministry can't possibly pay that debt in the ordinary way, perhaps you'd be willing to do so by joining me for dinner?"

"It would be my pleasure," Percy said.

**Author's Note:**

> For a_d_medievalist, who wanted Hermione and Percy, beads.


End file.
